thousands of flights around the world are cancelled or delayed. many because of staffing shortages due to covid exposures. the biden administration announced this morning it will be lifting covid travel restrictions from eight african nations starting on new year's day. there's also new guidance from the cdc, cutting isolation time for ie symptomatic health care workers. a short time ago the president surprised health care workers and patients at children's national hospital in d.c. joining dr. jill biden and the annual tradition of first ladies visiting hospitalized children for the holidays. and these pictures coming in just moments ago of a another white house tradition. the president and first lady taking calls from children on norads santa tracker line. we begin with the can have surge colliding with the holidays. from los angeles international airport, we have gaudy schwartz and dr. ben gupta. thousands of flights have been cancelled worldwide today and tomorrow amid this omicron surge. many parts of california where you are omicron is fast becoming the dominant strain. what's happening at lax? how are airlines and passengers dealing with the changes there? >> hey, 25 flights here at lax have been cancelled. overall around the country, about 450 flights have been cancelled. when you consider how fast omicron is spreading, this is kind of a perfect storm. we've got inclement weather in seattle and utah that has led to flight chancelations and people calling in sick that work at the airlines from omicron. you have 200,000 new cases every single day. it's not just the pilots that you have to worry about. you also have to consider members of the flight crew. will they get home from the -- somebody that has -- you're supposed to wait a couple of days before you can safely work. it's not a direct -- >> we're being technical issues with the audio. we want to go to the other side of the country, sam brock in miami. daily cases in florida there five times higher than two weeks ago. the curve there looks vertical. it's not really even a curve. it's like a line. now the miami dade mayor is taking new measures to combat covid. what's changing there? what are you seeing and hearing on this holiday? >> that's right. what we've seen in terms of the increase of infections is remarkable. 420% in two weeks. part of that equation is this. we've been talking about it all week. all the people that are coming in right now to get tested. the demand has tripled over the course of the last three or four days. 8,000 or 9,000 people a day getting tested. the problem is the positivity rates are also going up as you see the 7-day average in florida, we're looking at more than 10,000 cases a day. the bigger issue is the positivity rate in miami dade was about 15% yesterday. i'm told it's more like 30%. one out of every three cars is leaving with a positive covid-19. there's so much demand to get tested right now that they have to really regulate who is coming into the park. i'm told they're closing today because it is christmas eve at 3:00. there's a line of cars about two miles long on the main road that runs along the park. those folks have been told you might not get tested today. you can wait here. they're waiting. that's a representation of what the demand looks like. it's also worth pointing out the hospitalizations and deaths are stable or down despite the massive surge of cases. in florida looking at about 2,100 people hospitalized with covid-19. it's about 4% of all the hospital beds. the national average is about 9.6 %. florida is considered low stress in the bigger picture even though we're seeing all the new cases. deaths in the state of florida are down 60 % in the last two weeks. so you're trying to sort of understand how these two things can co-exist simultaneously. it may be there's a lot of reinfections from the delta wave that really hit states like florida and georgia and alabama over the summer. maybe the progression of the illness has not been the same. maybe it's because it's warmer out here and folks are mindful of the fact they have to be outside further apart if it's possible. to the last question of what the mayor is doing right now, expanding the hours of testing sites, going into communities and especially the nursing homes and older floridians to get them boosted, because right now the number of people boosted in the state, the percentage, about 17%. you want to get that higher as about 63% or 64% of floridians are fully vaccinated. that's the picture right now in florida. >> good news in hospitalizations and deaths not going up, but hard to believe that a third of the cars behind you right now are testing positive. doctor gupta, let's bring in you here. right now would you go to mass gathers like new year's eve parties or any big sporting events with omicron circulating? what do you think right now is safe? what is not safe? >> good afternoon. thank you for having me. if your viewers are all gathering in a vaccine bubble where everybody else is triple vaccinated. they're doing all the right things. if it's a larger gathering of more than 10 people, ideally people are testing the day of in abundance of caution. people need to think about this being the new normal. there's a coupling of cases with hospitalizations. let's hope this is still early, let's hope it remains through -- true, the decoupling. a contagious respiratory virus like omicron might breakthrough. that's okay. because those vaccines are still working to prevent severe illness. and that's exactly what we see every year with the flu vaccine. the flu vaccine keeps folks out of the hospital. none of this is surprising. we -- this is going to be our new normal. more cases but hopefully hospitalizations continue to be lower. >> that's something we have to wrap our minds around. is this new normal. doctor, what is your reaction to this cdc shortening the isolation time for health care workers right now? what's the impact this could have on hospitals, on health care worker, shortage, and do you think there's a point where it's going to start applying to everyone, not just health care workers, especially with omicron being as contagious as it has been over the last couple weeks? >> you know, i think it's absolutely the right move. there are calls to broaden it. they made the initial steps. there are other sectors, other frontline workers like flight aten dants. you mentioned the flight delays because of staffing shortages. i think the answer is yes. there is a paradigm here that was a bit surprising. it applied to any health care worker, not just those fully vaccinated. we know if you're otherwise without serious medical conditions like cancer and you're triple vaccinated, over phenomenon you have a positive test, let's say you have no symptoms, you attempt to clear your virus within two or three days. i could see the number come down to as short as five days for those fully vaccinated, asymptomatic, as we really trend toward this new normal. but protocols and procedures on quarantining, whether it's necessary and how long is a key component of us getting back to normal. >> it seems like something that could be changing week by week as we learn more about this variant. and we do have new data on omicron severity. two studies suggest the following. the omicron wave that's inundating many parts of the world and sparking new records may comparatively be less dangerous than delta, at least in areas with high levels of preexisting immunity. tell us what you're thinking of this skroefr seas data. is it reassuring and what does it maybe tell us? does it mean hospitalizations could stay low in the u.s. over the coming weeks? >> i'm cautiously optimistic. we literally started talking about omicron not even three weeks ago. i think this is all early. but all signs point to this being encouraging. for all your viewers, wondering how could somebody be triple vaccinated, otherwise healthy and have a positive test? it turns out the way in which our immune system and respiratory tract show is scattered, it could explain it. we don't have as many antibodies in our nose and throat, but we have a lot of them and other cells like t-cells in our lungs. what omicron has shown is it could evade the defenses in the nose, cause us to test positive, but when it travels down the back of our throat and tries to get to our lungs, no luck because the other immune systems, defenses kick in. that's why you're seeing more breakthrough positive tests, but no serious illness, especially breakthrough serious illness which is a great thing. very unsurprising, exactly how we expect the immune system to work in the respiratory tract. all encouraging signs. let's hope it continues. yeah. that's a question i know a lot of people have right now. especially as you hear from friends who have breakthrough infections. thank you for helping explain that to us. and before, also thanks to sam brock and gaudy schwartz from florida and california. a lot of headlines today including the guilty verdict in the trial of former police officer kim potter. what it could mean for the future of policing and police reform in america. plus in the season of giving we'll show you how you can help with food insecurity this holiday. you're watching msnbc reports. y. this... is the planning effect. this is how it feels to have a dedicated fidelity advisor looking at your full financial picture. this is what it's like to have a comprehensive wealth plan with tax-smart investing strategies designed to help you keep more of what you earn. and set aside more for things like healthcare, or whatever comes down the road. this is "the planning effect" from fidelity. wow... that's so nice! the gift of ancestry®... is a walk through your history. do you remember who this is? 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>> great point. you saw that immediate reaction right as the verdict was being read where there was a crowd of people outside the courthouse on the courthouse grounds. and they broke into cheers and people talked about how surprised they were by this verdict, especially considering the jury took so long to deliberate. 27 hours they were locked away in deliberations over the course of four days. we know from the jury form that that jury returned the first verdict fairly early on tuesday. and it wasn't until yesterday when they actually were able to present both verdicts to the judge. you know, one thing you also heard was the idea that even though this is a conviction and this is what they wanted and many people were celebrating, you also heard the tempered emotions there. knowing that this is short of the push for accountability, and real reform that a lot of these demonstrators have been calling for. listen to a conversation i had yesterday. >> day after day, you know, we're going to raise our kids to accommodate how the police react to us. and that baby was scared and the police took his life, so we got guilty just like choefen was guilty. something we've been saying for a long time. to this day, we still seek justice one by one, and each victory is a victory for all. >> reporter: you saw right after this verdict was being read and after arguments between the defense attorneys and prosecutors, kim potter was escorted out of that courtroom, and she was in handcuffs and will remain in jail until at least her sentencing likely years beyond that. >> yeah. so shaq, what is next for kim potter? is sentencing the next big step in this? >> sentencing is the next big step. that date is scheduled for february 18th. but before then you'll hear arguments between prosecutors and the defense attorneys. and that's because they're trying to decide or argue for increased sentencing. the prosecution, they're saying there were so-called aggravating factors. they say kim potter abused her power and put other people at risk. so they're arguing for a sentence closer to the 15-year maximum that she faces. the defense is calling for minimum amount of time, even saying at one point they might be looking for probation. >> shaq brewster. excellent reporting as always. thank you so much. appreciate it. to washington now on capitol hill. the president and democrats are hoping for a better start to the new year after a bitterly disappointing end to this one. they're hoping to breathe new life into the centerpiece of the president's domestic agenda. the build back better bill. ran into a brick ball last weekend when the senator announced he would not support the bill after weeks of negotiations with the president. nbc's josh letterman is at the white house. and julie sirken is on capitol hill. josh, before we get to the next steps for the president's agenda, i understand he just took a couple questions at the white house. what can you tell us about that? >> that's right. president biden was taking calls from the norad track santa program. took a couple questions from reporters. he was asked about the recommendation of shortening the quarantine period for health care workers who are exposed to coronavirus. and whether that should be applied to all individuals who are exposed to coronavirus. president biden saying at this point no, that's not the recommendation that he's received. he was also asked whether he had been tested for covid today, given the number of exposures in and around the white house in recent days. president biden saying no, not today, but that he did get tested negative yesterday. and also the president was asked what he and first lady jill biden will be getting each other for christmas. no comment on that one, joe. he says they're not giving their gifts until tomorrow, so he didn't want to blow up the surprise for dr. biden. >> yeah. it would be quite the give away if he told everyone now. something tells me she would figure it out. let's look back at the past year. the white house is quick to point out the president had achievements this year. the american rescue plan, the infrastructure bill. that's being overshadowed by the failure to get build back better over the finish line, especially considering they were trying to do it without republican support. what's the feel agent the white house as they reflect on accomplishments in the past year? >> white house officials want to call attention to those accomplishments they did get. nearly $3 trillion in spending between that covid relief bill and the infrastructure law. some really historic investments in roads and bridges. in other economic programs. you know, but the reality here is so much of biden's domestic agenda of what he promised americans when he was campaigning for president, be it on immigration, on climate change, on really creating more family programs for paid leave and child care and pre-k, so much of this is wrapped up in the build back better agenda. it's difficult to argue that they have been able to accomplish what they set out to do absent this legislation that is still lingering in congress. no real clear path after joe manchin seemed to knicks it about a week ago. the white house not giving up hope that they're going to be able to get something done next year on that, but it really is the million dollar question. heading into next year, given that they wanted to have this done during the first year of president biden's term. that's the time when you've got the most political capital and can get stuff done. it only gets harder and harder after the first year is over. >> yeah. let's talk about congress. julie, majority leader chuck schumer wanted a vote on build back better by christmas. that didn't happen. where do democrats and congress go from here? >> yeah. well, joe, after the initial shock and perhaps rage at senator manchin's sort of wore off in congress, majority leader schumer sat on a call tuesday night with all democrats in the senate that they will, in fact, vote on some sort of build back better agenda in the new year. he floated the idea of a rules change vote to pass voting rights legislation on a simple majority. something i should add that currently doesn't have the support of senator joe manchin and senator sinema who want to do that on a bipartisan basis. as i'm on the air with you, a congressional progressive is holding a video call with activists saying they need to do something for the american people. failure is not an option. she said, and they're going to have to accept a really scaled back proposal. we know that senator joe manchin according to sources gave the president sort of this menu of options he would support before he said his no. some of those things that manchin is open to include expanded obama care. that's the affordable care act. some billions for climate change and also ten years of universal pre-k. those are the things senator joe manchin said he was open to doing. one of his big sort of problems with the way this was going is that not all of these provisions were fully funded over the ten years and he's looking at something a lot smaller when they get back in january. >> julie, josh, thank you so you both for your reporting on this christmas eve day. up next, i'm going to take an in ept look at what the collapse of build back better could mean for two key democratic priorities. climb change and immigration reform. ration reform how stiff clothes can feel rough on your skin? 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>> well, thank you for having me on. i guess the most immediate consequence is yet further delay on some of the really important strategic priorities around climate change related to investments and resilience for america as a whole. let's remember the good news is america was already in some ways on track. right? for declining emissions trend line due to innovation, tax credits, falling cost of solar and other incentives, but had build back better passed or whatever form it is in eventually, the additional spending, hundreds of billions of dollars, wind turbines, solar power, electric power and so forth, would have brought us down that curve a lot faster. that's to say nothing of the broader infrastructure bill which contains a lot more spending for nuclear, geothermal and other technologies. all that is possible and a lot more is needed. that's just on bringing down emissions but also building the future, more resilient and energy-based economy. it's not that progress on achieving those objectives stopped, but it's going to be slowed down. >> president biden had been touting build back better for climate change as a way the u.s. would prove the leadership on the issue. he already went to the international climate summit empty handed a few weeks back. what message does it send if the president doesn't get the climate reforms he wants passed? >> well, it's not just about the message that's sent in terms of international leadership. you're right. the glasgow summit alone came away leaderless, given that some of the most significant emitting societies, nations in the world watered down the resolution at the end. they agreed more needs to be spent on climate adaptation, but that's more national and local. that's where the ball is backed in our court. the question becomes as a country that is actually quite exposed to climate change, where you're already seeing more than $100 billion of damage every single year, what is america doing to make itself more resilient? that becomes in a way a demonstration of leadership, simply doing the right things at home. and here let me point out, that it's not yet clear sort of conceptionally that how climate change plays out needs to shape our infrastructure spending. we really have to link these two much more solidly in our execution. let me tell you why. because climate models give us the ten, 20, 30-year perspective. and infrastructure spending is also done on a generational time horizon. but the way infrastructure spending is done, joe, as you know, is much more localized. pork barrel, if you will. we need to let the climate models tell us which places are going to be the most resilient. we need to think about the inevitable population shifts as people move into more climate stable areas. and direct our infrastructure spending into those places. in other words, there is literally going to be a resorting of the geography of the american population and that's not the way we think about our spending right now. so the climate and the infrastructure spending really need to go much more hand in hand than they do right now. >> if the president gets little or no support from congress, what actions can he still take on his own to do what he hoped to do with build back better? we're tight on time, but what could he do and would that be enough? >> the short answer is, of course, more executive orders. we've seen that happen in the last couple days with the approval of a number of major solar power projects in california. that's certain to happen elsewhere. we'll probably have to see the same around water management regulation. potential funding or incentives around water projects. that's the typical way in which you get around situations like this. let's hope that with the democratic narrow majority that something like that can still be engineered or progress can be made in legislation without resorting to that. that is ultimately very piecemeal. >> thank you so much for joining us on this christmas eve day. we appreciate it. i want to bring in sergio gonzalez to talk about what changes to the build back better act could mean for immigration. so so far this parliamentarian has rejected three democratic efforts to try to include in the immigration reform in build back better that includes a path to citizenship, giving millions of people residency. and protection for people in the u.s. since before 2011. senate democrats are trying to include something on immigration reform. what happens if they're not able to do that? what are their options? >> they need to continue going forward. this is an issue unresolved for 35 years, decades. and democrats have campaigned on protections and a path to citizenship for dreamers and farm workers and other undocumented communities for years now. and we understand the consequences of inaction. there are five million undocumented immigrant essential workers. as we grapple with the current pandemic, we need to understand these are the very families and individuals who have been helping to keep our country going during one of our darkest times. as care workers. as farm workers. as food processors and delivery workers. and so that is why we cannot leave these families and these individuals behind as we look to a recovery bill and build back better, and that is why senate democrats need to continue to work on a solution that will actually address this issue and provide the path to citizenship for undocumented communities. >> it's no surprise democrats and republicans have very different views when it comes to immigration, but one thing that does have bipartisan support is providing permanent legal status to millions of the so-called dreamers. and documented immigrants who were brought to the u.s. as children. senators durbin and graham introduced a bill. why hasn't it gone anywhere and if they can't get it through, what does it tell us? >> republicans have left the table as rational, reasonable actors on this. they're more interested in using immigration as a political weapon against democrats. they said as much many times. this is why it's up to democrats to actually pass immigration reform and pass protections for dreamers and other undocumented communities. and there's not only strong public support for dreamers. there's strong public support for the vs. majority of undocumented workers and people living in our country. 70% to 08 % of americans support this. this is something that politically makes sense. it makes sense for our economy. providing a path for citizenship for undocumented communities would add $1.5 trillion to our economy over ten years. it would raise wages for all americans. and it would actually increase federal, state, and local tax revenue. so there's a lot of reasons to get this done. and we cannot wait for this issue to continue to be unresolved. and that's why democrats have to find a way to get it passed as part of the build back better bill. >> you know, we talk about waiting. it has been 35 years since congress approved a comprehensive immigration reform. 5 years. so -- 35 years. what do you think if congress doesn't take action soon? do you think the clock is ticking? >> i do think the clock is ticking. i think that there are a lot of reasons why this has to get done this year. one is that we're going into a very difficult midterm cycle where we can expect that politics will really be charged during 2022. we also are facing a core system overall that has become more hostile on the issue of immigration. and where it becomes harder to do things to the administrative branch. this is why getting something done through legislation really is the solution to addressing this issue and providing the security and providing the safety to undocumented families that they deserve and that they have herbed. and that has to be done now. and so we will continue pushing and working with our partners. there are many partners across the country from many communities who are working on this issue, and we will continue to work in partnership with them to make sure this gets passed. >> sergio gonzalez, thank you so much for your time. wishing you a happy holiday weekend. up next, there is no rest this holiday season for the heros working in hospitals. this latest wave of covid infections hitting those exhausted workers hard. we're going to talk to an emergency room doctor in michigan. that's up next. investors who cae this landscape, leveraging gold, a strategic and sustainable asset... the path is gilded with the potential for rich returns. want your clothes to smell freshly washed all day without heavy perfumes? now they can! with downy light in-wash freshness boosters. just pour a capful of beads into your washing machine before each load. to give your laundry a light scent that lasts longer than detergent alone, with no heavy perfumes or dyes. finally, a light scent that lasts all day! new downy light, available in four naturally-inspired scents. i just heard something amazing! one medication is approved to treat and prevent migraines. don't take if allergic to nurtec. the most common side effects were nausea, stomach pain, and indigestion. ask your doctor about nurtec today! welcome back. as omicron surges across the country, some hospitals are already overwhelmed again while others are again bracing for another wave of patients. right now more than 70,000 covid patients are hospitalized nationwide. that's an increase of more than 20,000 since the beginning of november. but it's still only half as many hospitalizations as we saw during last winter's peak. even so, many hospitals and hospital workers wrapped their brink as omicron threatens to strain the system further with winter just getting started. in the uk, for example, so many health workers have contracted covid in recent weeks it's predicted that one in three workers could be absent by new year's eve. joining me now is an an emergency room doctor in west michigan. he's now dealing with covid in his own household. doctor, good to have you with us. as you said on twitter, your daughter tested positive after coming home from covid. how is -- college. >> i think a lot of families have people home, they have covid. how are you handling it? how do you deal with those exposures safely? >> yes. she's doing great. she's a 20-year-old healthy person, double vaccinated, boosted. she along with many got it as the wave began last week. what i will say is even for a two-doctor family who have been dealing with this thing for almost three years, it's hard to figure out what to do. we have her isolating on a separate floor, not having any contact. the rest of us are vaccinated and boosted. we don't have to quarantine, but we're taking an abundance of caution. you can monitor for symptoms and we're doing that. going out with a well-fitted mask. i'm on a block of time off over christmas and go back after christmas for new year's, andly test my way to be able to safely go back to work. my employer is aware. we know we may have to cover some shifts like we've been doing throughout the pandemic, but it's a stretch, i think, for eve an family like our who is has every bit of knowledge we could possibly have and access to some tests and to positions in health care, and for so many pete out there who don't have that, it's good to be that much more difficult. >> let's talk a little more about what's happening outside your home. michigan was already struggling with a wave of delta patients. in fact, the military just deployed a fourth team of emergency personnel to help treat patients there. so what's happening now that omicron is here? what are you seeing? is this a surge on top of a surge there? >> we really haven't seen that. we know of an omicron surge. the percent is significantly delta. i'm in westmy my. our test positive rate a couple weeks ago was 30%. we're under 20%. it's relief. it's extremely high still. on my last shift, i admitted three patients, and admitting patients with covid or anything nowadays, still doesn't necessarily mean getting them in a bed. they sit in the er. most folks are sitting there up to 12 or 24 hours. we've been at this for six weeks. people holding for hours and days on end, people delaying their definitive care they need in the hospital, and the hospital -- sorry, er nurses acting as in-patient nurses while still trying to manage the flow of er patients. it's a real challenge. >> from what you're seeing, do hospitals have what they need to get through this? we're hearing about some hospitals need manager antibodies. other clinics are short on testing supplies. what does michigan need right now? >> well, certainly michigan is short on antibodies. our system, we keep whittling down the people who qualify. you have to be over a certain bmi. you have to have certain risk factors and within seven days of symptoms. it's based on that. if you're a vaccinated person, you don't qualify. and frankly, you're so well protected that the benefit of the antibodies is very might be mall if you're vaccinated anyway. as far as staff, you know, it's been tough. nursing staff have chosen to go into other clinical situations where they're not in the er and the hospitals. some have left nursing altogether just because it's a system -- it's easy to get burned out right now. not necessarily just the workload, but the frustration of dealing with patients. in our area it's about 45 % vaccination rate. a lot of people are very upset with nurses when they ask them if they're vaccinated. we try to test people. a lot of people resist to even getting tested, suggesting we can make up any result we want. i think a lot of people never envisioned that as part of their daily life at work and are saying i'm done with it. >> hard to believe two years into this that you are still dealing with that. we thank you for everything you're doing. we're thinking of you and your family and wishing you a safe holiday weekend. doctor, thank you so much. this holiday, some 38 million americans are facing food insecurity. what you can do to help. that's next. [music: sung by craig robinson] ♪ i'm a ganiac, ganiac, check my drawers ♪ [sfx: sniffs / long exhale] ♪ and my clothes smell so much fresher than before ♪ ♪ yeah, yeah ♪ ♪ i'm a ganiac, ganiac, check my drawers ♪ ♪ it's a freshness like i've never smelled before ♪ one sniff of gain flings and you'll be a gainiac too! the only detergent with oxiboost and febreze. welcome back. as families get ready to gather around the christmas table, for many in this country a big dinner is not an option. and some don't know where their next meal is coming from. the usda says 38 million americans including 12 million children are dealing with food insecurity. it's a problem made even worse by the pandemic and it's further exacerbated by supply chain issues and inflation. i'm joined now by eric cooper, ceo of the san antonio food bank, which is part of the national chain of food banks known as feeding america. talk to us about the need in your community. at the height of the pandemic, you're feeding 120,000 people a week, twice the number of pre-pandemic. what is it you're seeing now? >> happy holidays, joe. for feeding america food banks across the country, we're seeing lots of uncertainty. families stressed, the expectations of christmas and falling short due to inflation on food prices, going home with less food in the grocery basket and families are making up the difference at their local food bank. so i was out this week delivering some food to some families. we took them some food and toys for the kids, the volunteers asked the mom where to put the toys and mom replied, i didn't even have enough for a christmas tree. she's studying to be a nurse and just not making ends meet to put food on the table for her family, and that's where we're seeing our communities come together and make sure families are nourished. >> it's hard to hear, but you have to put the priorities of food over some of these other things. you mentioned inflation. it is near a 40-year high, that includes food prices, of course. what are you hearing specifically about that, the impact that is having on your community? >> well, families are having to make some substitution choices, right? they're not able to get the items that they love to enjoy. this went down as the most expensive thanksgiving ever. so families were looking for substitutions. maybe they couldn't afford turkey this year. and it just breaks our hearts. we're doing everything we can to take in donations. again, feeding america food banks all are really trying to limn the variables of the right food at the right amount at the right time. the holidays have traditional meals and we want to make sure families receive those, that they know their neighbors care and are concerned about them. but it has been a tough 21 months. we saw some record demand, now as the economy is strengthening we're starting to see some good trends. our line is shrinking. the most significant impacts were some of the federal strategies, you know, the advance child tax credit had a big impact. the increase to the supplemental nutrition assistance program, s.n.a.p. we directly saw some shrinking of our line when those programs went into effect. but i would say the biggest factor is, honestly, getting an increase in wage at their job. that pulls people out of our line more than anything. >> it's good to hear the lines are getting shorter. what have you been seeing especially in recent months when it comes to donations? are people giving more, are you getting, are you receiving whether it's more food or money so you can help people in need? what's happening with that? >> yeah, so i think because of those supply chain disruptions, we're having to be much more patient. there's some increased cost. and food in some varieties are tough to come by. you know, when it comes to volunteers, food banks, again, could use your help. if you're watching, please reach out to your local food bank and fill a volunteer shift either packing boxes or preparing meals. and then the funding, you know, we've had some amazing corporations step up here locally in our community, companies like usaa and bolero, h.u.b. we've gotten some love from our local franchise, the san antonio spurs, they've been out volunteering, helping families. that's what the holidays are all about, it's about sharing and caring. we see those miracles come in lots of shapes and sizes, from individuals to corporations, foundations. i'll tell you, the federal government has a lot to do. we're not past this disaster yet. we fight the daily disaster of poverty and when a natural disaster strikes, we fight that too. and we still see the effects of the pandemic. >> you mentioned that's what the holidays are about and we do have to remember that this weekend and beyond. eric cooper of the san antonio food bank, thanks for joining us. wishing you and your family and everyone in your community a happy holiday weekend. >> joe, merry christmas, thank you. >> merry christmas. if you would like to help, check out feedingamerica.org/waystogive. norad's santa tracker usually tracks threats to north america. today it's tracking presents and santa's flight pattern around the world. it appears the pandemic is not, thankfully, slowing him down. he's over africa and has delivered more than 2 billion, with a "b," gifts. keep an eye on st. nick at noradsanta.org. stick with us, another hour of news ahead. you're watching "msnbc reports" on this christmas eve. so you can enjoy more of...this. this is the planning effect. are you tired of clean clothes that just don't smell clean? 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